This Is It!

It's 5:45am, and I'm awake. In my childhood bedroom, watching Family Matters. Just waiting for my alarm to go off, telling me it's time to get up and get ready to marry my best friend!

I cannot believe this day is finally here!

All the Single Ladies....

My Bachelorette has come and gone, and now it is time to share all the juicy details!

It was a perfect weekend at Pine Lake near my hometown. All the bridesmaids came, bearing snacks and drinks, and we all had an absolutely amazing time! No boys allowed of course, except for this little guy -- Maid of Honor's new son. Too cute!



We all stayed at the Strawbale House, the perfect cute little cottage for 8 girls and a baby. After a yummy champagne toast a la Sister-in-law:



We were ready to go out for a night on the town!!



We ate at a new restaurant -- Simply Thai, which was simply delicious! The service was a little slow, but we weren't in any hurry! After dinner we went out for a few drinks and a little dancing, and then spent the night reminiscing about old times in the cabin.

The weekend ended with a brunch at my favorite restaurant -- The Autumn Cafe. Yum!

And the RSVPs start to pour in!

This weekend when I opened the mailbox, I was surprised by three very special envelopes! Our very first RSVPs!! And the best part? Each one was a yes!

The Honour of Your Presence is Requested

Wow. Do you remember this time last year when I was excitedly writing about our delicious invitations that we picked up at Michaels, only to store behind FH's favorite recliner for an entire year?? Well, the day has come that they have all finally been mailed, and all week people have been texting and emailing, letting us know that each little package has arrived at it's destination.

Yes, after months and months of arduous work putting these little babies together, they are finally complete and out the door!

Do you know what that means? I can finally let you in on what they look like!!

Here is what arrived in each guests' mailbox this week:



And here is what they will see once they open said loveliness:





It was a long road to finishing these little puppies, full of wine,



stamping,



and puppy lovin'



but I can finally breathe a huge sigh of relief and know that they are finished!!



Now, on to the next project!!!

Everyone is Invited!!

Well, we did it! After 6 months of lovingly putting these little babies together, we finally took all of our invites to the post office and put them in the mail! Now to play the waiting game with the RSVP cards!

Time for a Shower!

The moment had finally arrived...it was 1pm and people were beginning to arrive for the shower!! MOH had found some VERY yummy (and all vegetarian!) recipes for finger sandwiches, and had LOTS of varieties of tea available. My favorite part you ask? Definitely the lavender-infused lemonade! Delicious!!

After an amazing lunch, we jumped right in to the shower games. Now, I'm not a "game" person by any means. I even scheduled surgery in high school just so I could get out of playing volleyball. I really just don't do well under pressure. So when planning my shower, I specifically told my MOH, NO GAMES! But my mom somehow snuck one in anyway...

We played "How Well Do You Know Your Groom?" and I am quite pleased to say, I know my groom very well! Any answer not correct was punished with the consumption of 5 cheese doodles, and I only ate 5 (and that question Matt didn't even remember the answer he gave!) Any question I got right was rewarded with a present.

A few of the memorable ones include...


A Good Wife Guide


A french maid outfit


Granny Panties!

I also played a game from Brazilian bridal showers, where the bride opens her gifts blindfolded! It was REALLY hard!!



All in all, it was a wonderful shower, and it was great to finally get all the bridesmaids together to meet each other and get to know one another!!

Decorating the Shower!

Well, as you may have guessed by now (or you know if you are one of the few who actually do know me), I am obsessed with detail photography! My motto throughout each event I plan is "It's all in the details". It's these personal touches that takes an ugly, blank canvas of a venue and turns it into something gorgeous!

I am lucky to have a MOH who shares my view on details, and spent so much time (newborn and all) on all the cute little details for my shower. So many details in fact, that they deserved their own blog entry!

So, without further ado, I present to you, the details!

Detail #1: Tissue Poms!



Detail #2: perfectly adorable flowers!



Detail #3: The welcome table, with a recipe box and journal for marriage advice!



Detail #4: Hand-cut tissue paper doilies





Detail #5: Amazing food!





Detail #6: Amazing handmade tablescapes!











Detail #7: Gorgeous Banners!!





Next Up: It's Shower Day!

Ready to Get Wet!

I woke up on July 16 the same as I did every morning, with two very important distinctions. One, I was on a sofa in New Jersey, sans Future Hubby and the pups. Two, today was my bridal shower!

I woke up VERY early to shower and get ready for my 8am hair appointment at Melandre Salon in Nutley. The people there were so nice! I had a delicious cup of coffee while Maria cut away at the hair I had tried so long to grow out. And then, the big decision came. I would get bangs. Do I dare before the wedding day? Yes, I do!



And then, just like that, I was back in the home of my wonderful maid of honor, just hours away from the biggest wedding moment to date. Can you see the excitement?



Next up: Shower Decor!!

3 Months And Counting!!

Here it is, ladies and gentlemen, only three months left to go! This is quite the exciting month! According to The Knot, it's time to plan out our reception music, put our favors together, and mail out our invitations!! Be on the lookout for our invite reveal later this month!

Next weekend: the Bridal Shower!

Last-Minute Checklist

100 days to go. Tomorrow there will be only 99. I never thought I'd see the double digits, and here they are, staring me in face, scoffing at me, telling me I'm not as prepared as I thought I was.

The very minute I stepped into the double digits I was bombarded with emails from wedding sources. The same wedding emails I used to enjoy reading every day have suddenly turned against me. Instead of giving me my daily fix of "wedding porn" (and by porn I mean insanely cute first-look photos, vintage centerpieces, shoes, sparkles and other drool-worthy photos), I am now suddenly looking at emails that begin: Last-Minute Checklist.

When did 100 days become "the last minute"??? It is, after all, still just over three months of planning time left. But I'm sure these three months will fly right by, and before I know it it will become time to put on my dress and veil, and make the walk down to my new husband.

A Fond Farewell

May 21, 2011 was a very special day for us. It was on this day, four years ago, that FH and I went on our very first date. I still lived in Boston and had come home for the weekend.

The day started off with brunch at our favorite local diner (Don and Paul’s Coffee Shop). This was a fabulous find on urbanspoon if I do say so myself! Although small, this diner offers amazing coffee and delicious diner fare at 1970s prices! The best part? The back room, where old men go to shoot pool and talk sports. I could fully see FH making this his second home when we’re old and grey…if we were going to stay here.

After breakfast, we went on to the mall, to watch the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie, in IMAX 3D no less! It was amazing, from start to finish. The movie was chock full of action and adventure, enough to keep me in my seat (when in fact the entire time I had to go to the bathroom!)

I also bought these cute new sandals:



We ended the day going to an absolutely amazing restaurant: Café Italia. On the way there, we were greeted by this lovely scene:



If you are ever in the Albany area (and have an extra $200+ to blow on dinner), I highly recommend checking out Café Italia! You will definitely need to make reservations, as the entire place only seats about 20 people all together (if that). But the atmosphere, the warm and friendly waitstaff, and the AMAZING food definitely make up for the tight quarters. I had the lobster ravioli, which was obviously homemade pasta, and came with plenty of extra lobster meat in the sauce! FH ordered the zuppa di pesce – and was greeted by a tray big enough to feed a family of four! I really hope we can make a second trip here before we leave Albany. Maybe next May 21st, as a married couple.

As for Three Mile Point in Cooperstown, where we have faithfully gone to celebrate our anniversary with a picnic each year, fear not dear reader, we made it there the following weekend for Memorial Day! We did indeed have our picnic with sharp cheddar cheese, a baguette, sun chips, apples, and beer. It was a lazy afternoon for us filled with hours of laying the sun by the water. A perfect summer day.

Congrats from Disney!!

Well readers, our first RSVP has come back! Kind-of. They may not have sent the card back, and of course we know they will not be attending, but they DID send us an official congratulatory notification! That's right, we are the proud owners of a certificate signed by Cinderella and Prince Charming themselves, wishing us a happy marriage!!

Royal Wedding Fever

Well, it's finally here and gone. The alarm woke my own future husband and myself up at 5:50am on Friday so that we too could witness the Royal Wedding live. And what a wedding it was!



Don't you just adore Kate's dress? I wonder how many brides will choose a gown like this one for their 2012 weddings? And who else noticed the trees inside the church in place of flowers?? How many brides called their churches that morning to ask about their indoor tree policy??

But the best part came an hour after the wedding, on the balcony of Buckingham Palace - the first royal kiss! Because after all, you're not married until you kiss!



What a fairytale wedding it was!